Now through September 1, immerse yourself in the world of Turtles, the new Fernbank exhibit that explores these beloved reptiles that predate dinosaurs.
“Turtles is primarily about the biodiversity of their species, their evolutionary history, and conservation issues and solutions,” said Sarah Arnold, Director of Education for Fernbank Museum. “Must-sees include 12 enclosures with live animals [aquatic and terrestrial], larger-than-life models, and animal encounters held 3-4 times a day.”
The exhibit is produced and staffed by Little Ray’s Exhibitions with live specimens provided by FARE – Foundation for Animal Rescue and Education, Canada’s largest exotic animal rescue.
Come also see a model that dispels the myth that turtles leave or shed their shell.
“A turtle’s shell is part of their body and grows with them their entire life,” Arnold explained. It’s made of two pieces fused together, the carapace (top) and the plastron (bottom).
Think all turtles retract their heads and limbs inside their hard shells for protection? Come meet an albino Asian softshell turtle who challenges that notion.
“On softshell turtles, the bony plates are much smaller and the edges are more like cartilage, covered with this leathery skin,” Arnold said. “I’ve seen the brownish speckled ones in the Chattahoochee River. They can bury themselves on the bottom and use their long neck as a snorkel.”
Another native Georgia species is the box turtle, seen along the WildWoods trails outside the museum and as a star in the animal encounter held in the theater steps from the exhibit.
“Turtles are exothermic,” explained Mike Lyon, Little Ray Director of Guest Experience, as he held a box turtle. “They rely on external sources of heat, so a warm road is the perfect place to stop and take a nap.”
Unfortunately, that puts turtles in danger unless an adult can move them to safety.
After describing the turtle’s diet, life span, and other fun facts, Lyon emphasized that clean water is critical to a turtle’s survival.
“How are we going to help with that?” Lyon asked.
“Don’t litter,” a young visitor answered.
“Yes, don’t litter and conserve water by turning off the tap when you brush your teeth,” Lyon urged.
“If everybody does it, that will make a difference.”
After the program, guests lined up to pet a Russian tortoise, “Speedy”, a connection that Little Ray’s hopes will reinforce conservation behaviors.
Georgia-specific turtle conservation successes are also on display in the exhibit, including efforts to protect the Diamondback Terrapin that lives in our coastal brackish water (mix of fresh and salt water). This turtle was previously hunted for soup and now faces threats of loss of habitat and getting caught in commercial crab traps.
“There are a lot of groups along the Georgia coast that do supplemental breeding, nest protection, and encourage crabbers to use traps that allow the terrapins to escape,” Arnold said.
One guest, Elizabeth Lozano-Hensley, reminisced about spending summers protecting loggerhead sea turtles alongside the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.
“We worked at the Sea Turtle Rescue Center to locate and protect nests and tag sea turtles on Jekyll Island and St Catherines Island,” Lozano-Hensley shared. “We also worked with NOAA [National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration] for water testing and coral reefs, which are sanctuaries for sea turtles.”
Her sons were among the guests lucky to catch a few turtle feedings.
“Many turtles are omnivores,” Brent with Little Ray’s explained as he opened the enclosure to deliver a snack. “Today we are feeding them shrimp.”
After the feeding, Lozano-Hensley’s sons and her friend’s daughters posed together on a life-size leatherback sea turtle.
“We like to come to all of these traveling exhibits, and turtles are all of our favorites,” Lozano-Hensley said.Get Turtles tickets here. Animal encounters are M-F 11:30 a.m., 1:15 p.m., & 3 p.m.. Weekends 10:45 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 1:15 p.m. & 3:45 p.m. See the exhibit paired with after-hours events or after a walk-through Spirit Animals.
